Published in the Official Gazette on June 3, 2025: Urgent Expropriation Decision for Bozçakır HES in Polatlı, Ankara

ANKARA – The Official Gazette, bearing the signature of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and published on Tuesday, June 3, 2025 (Issue No. 32919), has added an important item to Turkey's energy investment agenda. An urgent expropriation decision has been made for designated properties required for the construction of the planned Bozçakır Hydroelectric Power Plant (HES) production facility in Polatlı district of Ankara. This decision stands out as a concrete step taken in line with the country's renewable energy targets.

The Presidential Decision No. 9945, located in the Executive and Administrative Section of the Official Gazette published by the Presidency's General Secretariat for Legal and Legislative Affairs, reflects a determination to accelerate public interest energy infrastructure projects.

Strategic Move to Accelerate the Bozçakır HES Project

As clearly stated in the decision text, specific immovable properties located in the Polatlı district of Ankara are to be urgently expropriated by the Energy Market Regulatory Authority (EMRA) for the purpose of constructing the Bozçakır HES production facility, to be registered in the name of the Treasury. This urgent expropriation decision has been made in accordance with Article 27 of Expropriation Law No. 2942.

Properties Within the Scope of Expropriation: The detailed list provided in the annex of the Official Gazette precisely specifies the province, district, village/neighborhood, island number, and parcel number of the properties subject to urgent expropriation. This aims to swiftly incorporate the lands needed for the project into the expropriation process under legal grounds.

The Importance of Renewable Energy and Expropriation Processes

Hydroelectric power plants hold a significant share among Turkey's renewable energy sources for electricity generation. Projects like Bozçakır HES play a critical role in achieving strategic goals such as ensuring the country's energy supply security and reducing carbon emissions. However, such large-scale infrastructure investments naturally entail legal processes like land acquisition and expropriation.

Urgent expropriation is an exceptional method resorted to in public interest projects that need to be completed quickly, to ensure that construction processes can begin without delay. This decision demonstrates the government's determination to advance the Bozçakır HES project according to its timeline and reach its planned energy production capacity. During the expropriation process, the fair determination and payment of compensation to property owners are legally guaranteed within the framework of their constitutional rights.

This Presidential Decision, published in the Official Gazette on June 3, 2025, has been recorded as one of Turkey's concrete steps in the field of energy strategy and infrastructure investments.